Tobacco-cutter.



Patented Aug. 22 I899.

J. M. TITUS.

TOBACCO CUTTER.

(Application filed Aug. 13, 1898.)

(no Model.)

2 Sheets-$heet l,

INVENTOR m Attorney N0. 63I,449. 1 Patented Aug. 22, I899.

J. M. TITUS. TOBACCO CUTTER.

. (Application filed Aug. 13, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W1TNESES INVENTOR :Yhr Nomus PETERS cu. wormnuu wAsnwnroN. a. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. TITUS, OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO ARTHUR B. WOOD AND JAMES M. QUIOKE, JR., OF SAME PLACE.

TOBACCO-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631 ,449, dated August 22, 1899.

Application filed August 13, 1898.

To ctZZ, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES M. TITUS, of Petersburg, in the county of Dinwiddie and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tobacco-Cutters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to an improvement in tobacco-cutters, the object of the invention being to provide an. endless rotary cutter that will be practically self-sharpening and selfcleaning and which will be intermittingly rotated by the act of cutting the tobacco, thus continuously changing the cutting edge.

A further object is to provide a cutter capable without alteration of the double or interchangeable uses of cutting plug or pressed tobacco into lengths or blocks and of slicing plug, pressed, and leaf tobacco, and other forms of tobacco into thin slices or strips to be crumpled for smoking purposes.

A further object is to produce a device that will be simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, and most effective when in use.

WVith these ends in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a view of my improvement in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of same. Figs. 3 and 4c are detailed views of the rotary cutter and its-mountings, and Fig. 5 is a View of a modified construction of cutter.

A represents a base or support, and 1 a plate secured on the top thereof, the said plate being provided at its outer end with a bearing 2 and at or near its opposite or inner end with an upright or standard 3, the outer edge of which latter alines with the outer edge of the plate. The base or support is provided on its top with a recess 4, the end wall of which is directly in a plane with the side wall of the plate 1. Mounted in bearing 2 is one end of a lever 5, which latter is provided at a point between its ends with an enlarged portion 6, in which is revolubly mount- Serial No. 688,516. (No model.)

ed a rotary cutter 7, while its free end is pro vided with a suitable handle 8. The ascent and descent of the free end of this lever'are controlled or limited by a pin 9, carried by hearing 2, against which the lugs 10 10, formed on the pivoted end of said lever, strike when the lever is moved to the limit of its up-anddown stroke. The inner face of rotary cutter or disk 7 is slightly concaved or dished, while its opposite face from its periphery to a suitable point in rear thereof is beveled, so as to form a sharp cutting edge, said cutting edge being automatically sharpened and cleaned by frictional contact of the outer edge of the concaved portion of said disk or cutter against standard 3. In view of the fact that only a small part of disk 7 contacts with standard 3 during its up-and-down movement it will be apparant that the friction between the parts is reduced to a minimum and that the cutter instead of rotating as it contacts with said standard will practically slide thereon and only rotate when passing through the tobacco.

- The coneaving of disk or cutter 7, as above described, not only provides for its automatic sharpening, but 'also provides a space into which the gum that collects near its cutting edge may be forced.

While I have stated that there is but a minimum amount of friction between cutter 7 and standard 3 and that the former during its ascent would in all probability not rotate but would slide on the standard, yet it is possible under some conditions that said cutter would rotate during its contact with said standard; but such rotation would not equal the forward movement or rotation during the descent of the cutter or while the latter is passing through thetobacco, and hence with .no means for preventing a backward rotation I would still secure a continuously-changing cutting edge; but I prefer to prevent this backward rotation of the cutter during its ascent, and hence I have provided the shaft 5 on which said cutter is secured or the cutter itself with a ratchet-wheel 11, which is engaged by a pawl carried by the lever 5, whereby the cutter Will be prevented from rotary motion during its ascent.

The beveled sect-ion of cutter or disk 7 is cleaned and prevented from becoming gum med with tobacco by the scraper 13, which latter is preferably made of spring metal and secured to lever 5, the free end of said spring being preferably bent, as shown.

Mounted in standard 3 is a roller 14, by means of which the tobacco to be cut may be easily and quickly guided to the cutter. This roller 14 is preferably corrugated or roughened on its periphery and is set at an angle so as to lift or tend to lift the tobacco from the plate 1 during the feeding of the tobacco forward, and thus avoid considerable friction between the tobacco, plate, and standard. This roller 14 is more in the nature of a regulator than a feed-roller and is designed, primarily, for permitting the plug to be moved back or forth quickly and readily until the proper thickness of tobacco projects beyond the plate and standard.

In Fig. 5 the cutter is mounted on a hearing carried by the depending end of swinging arm 15, the opposite end of said arm being mounted on a bearing carried by the inverted-V-shaped standard 16, which latter is supported by the base A. In this construction the base A is provided with a recess 4: and an L-shaped plate 17, the forward end of which alines with the straight wall of said recess and acts as a guide for the cutter or disk 7. The plate 17 also constitutes a support or table for the tobacco to be cut. The cutter or disk is moved back and forth by handle 18, which extends outwardly from the bearing on which the latter rotates.

The operation of the cutter is as follows: The lever 5 is first moved to its elevated position and the tobacco to be cut is then placed on the base or support A or on plate 1, as the case may be, with one of its fiat sides in contact with the feed-roller and standard, which latter acts as a guide for said tobacco, after which the tobacco is moved the desired distance over recess 1 and is severed at that point by the downward movement of lever 5, the cutteror disk 7 during its passage through the tobacco being rotated by its frictional contact therewith, thus providing a different cutting edge for the next out.

While I have shown and described the cutter as being operated by hand, it is evident, however, that the hand-lever may be connected up with and operated byany suitable power.

The cutter above described may be used for cutting 'plugtobacco in desired lengths or blocks or lumps, or it may be employed for cutting plug, lump, leaf, or other forms of tobacco into what is known as plug-cut," cutplug," long-cut, and fine cut smoking and chewing tobacco.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a new article of manufacture, a tobacco-cutter, consisting of a base, alever pivotally supported by said base and carrying a rotary cutter, a device against which the cutter has sliding contact and means for preventing the cutter froin rotating in one direction, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a base-plate and a lever pivotally connected therewith, of a standard projecting upwardly from said baseplate at a point between the ends of the lever, and a rotary cutter carried by said lever to one side of the standard, said cutter having a concave face adapted to have a continuous sliding contact at its periphery with a face of said standard during the movements of the lever and means for preventing the rotation of the cutter when the lever is raised.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a tobacco-cutter, consisting of a base provided 011 its upper face with a plate having a hearing at one end and a standard at its opposite end, a lever, one end of which is pivotally connected to said bearing, a rotary cutter mounted on said lever and means for locking said disk or cutter against movement in one direction, substantially as set forth.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a tobacco-cutter, consisting of a base provided on its upper face with a plate havinga bearing at one end and a standard at its opposite end, a lever carrying a rotary cutter pivotally mounted on said bearing, a ratchet-wheel and pawl carried by the cutter and lever respectively, and a spring-actuated cleaner secured to said lever, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination of a base, a standard perpendicular to said base and having an opening therein, a lever pivoted at one end to the base, a cutter carried by said lever and a roughened roller mounted in an inclined position on said perpendicular standard and projecting through the opening therein, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES M. TITUS.

Witnesses:

JAMES M. QUIoKE, J12, ARTHUR B. WooD. 

